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Boston Globe
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Jeannie Seely, who pushed boundaries and broke hearts at the Grand Ole Opry, dies at 85
Her most popular recording, 'Don't Touch Me,' reached No. 2 on the Billboard country chart and crossed over to the mainstream Hot 100 in 1966. A sensual ballad whose lyrics stress emotional commitment over sexual gratification, the song has been covered by numerous artists, including folk singer Carolyn Hester, reggae artist Nicky Thomas, and soul music pioneer Etta James. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The song won Ms. Seely the Grammy Award for best female country vocal performance in 1967. The record's less-is-more arrangement — slip-note piano, sympathetic background singers and sighing steel guitar — was vintage Nashville Sound on the cusp of 'countrypolitan,' its pop-inflected successor. Advertisement 'Don't open the door to heaven if I can't come in/Don't touch me if you don't love me,' Ms. Seely admonishes her lover, her voice abounding with unfulfilled desire. 'To have you, then lose you, wouldn't be smart on my part,' she sings in the final stanza. She tortures the word 'part' for two measures until her voice breaks and, with it, it seems, her heart. Advertisement Written by Hank Cochran, who would become Ms. Seely's husband, 'Don't Touch Me' anticipated Sammi Smith's breathtakingly intimate version of Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through the Night,' which was released four years later. 'Don't Touch Me,' critic Robert Christgau wrote, 'took country women's sexuality from the honky-tonk into the bedroom.' Ms. Seely blazed a trail for women in country music for the candor of her songs, and for wearing miniskirts and go-go boots on the Opry stage, bucking the gingham-and-calico dress code embraced by some of her more matronly predecessors like Kitty Wells and Dottie West. In the 1980s, she also became the first woman to host her own segment on the typically conservative and patriarchal Opry. 'I was the main woman that kept kicking on that door to get to host the Opry segments,' Ms. Seely told the Nashville Scene newspaper in 2005. 'I used to say to my former manager Hal Durham, 'Tell me again why is it women can't host on the Opry?' He'd rock on his toes and jingle his change and say, 'It's tradition, Jeannie.' And I'd say, 'Oh, that's right. It's tradition. It just smells like discrimination.'" Ms. Seely worked with top-tier Nashville session players who were attuned to the soulful sounds in Memphis, Tenn., and Muscle Shoals, Ala., to build a career around recordings that plumbed themes of infidelity, heartbreak and female emancipation. The titles of some of her singles spoke volumes: 'All Right (I'll Sign the Papers)' (1971), about the ravages of divorce; 'Welcome Home to Nothing' (1968), about a marriage gone cold; and 'Take Me to Bed' (1978). Her unflinching vocals told the rest of the story. Advertisement 'Can I Sleep in Your Arms,' an intimacy-starved rewrite of the Depression-era lament, 'Can I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight, Mister,' was a Top 10 country hit in 1973. (Two years later, Willie Nelson recorded the song for his groundbreaking concept album, 'Red Headed Stranger.') Marilyn Jeanne Seeley was born July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pa., and grew up in nearby Townville. (She later changed the spelling of her surname.) She was the youngest of four children of Leo and Irene Seely. Her father, a farmer and steel mill worker, played banjo and called square dances on weekends. Her mother sang in the kitchen while baking bread on Saturdays. Ms. Seely first performed on the radio station WMGW in Meadville, Pa., at age 11. 'I can still remember standing on a stack of wooden soda cases because I wasn't tall enough to reach the unadjustable microphones,' she recalled on her website. After graduating from high school, where she was a cheerleader and honor student, she took a job with the Titusville Trust Co. Three years later, she moved to California and went to work at a bank in Beverly Hills. A job as a secretary at Imperial Records in Hollywood opened doors in the music business, and she found early success as a songwriter with 'Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand).' Written with a young Randy Newman and two other collaborators, the song reached the Hot 100 in a version by New Orleans soul singer Irma Thomas in 1964. More than a half-century later, after having been recorded by Boyz II Men and others, it was used in episodes of the science-fiction TV series 'Black Mirror.' Advertisement In 1965, Ms. Seely signed a contract with Challenge Records, the West Coast label owned by country singer Gene Autry. The association yielded regional hits but no national exposure. At the urging of Cochran, whom she married in 1969 (the couple later divorced), Seely moved to Nashville, where she signed with Fred Foster's Monument Records and had her breakthrough hit, 'Don't Touch Me.' She made her Opry debut in the summer of 1966 and briefly starred as the female singer on 'The Porter Wagoner Show,' a nationally syndicated TV program, while also performing regularly with Ernest Tubb. Ms. Seely's biggest country hit as a songwriter came with 'Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye,' a chart-topping single for singer Faron Young in 1972. Merle Haggard and Ray Price also recorded her originals. In 1977, after a decade of hits, including a handful of Top 20 country duets with crooner Jack Greene, she sustained serious injuries in an automobile accident that almost ended her career. Apart from appearing on the Opry and having a small part in the 1980 movie 'Honeysuckle Rose,' which starred Nelson, she all but retired from performing. (Her other movie appearance was in 2002 in 'Changing Hearts,' starring Faye Dunaway.) In the 2000s, Ms. Seely increasingly turned her attention to bluegrass, recording an award-winning duet with Ralph Stanley. She also emerged as an elder stateswoman of the Opry, which remained her chief passion into the 2020s. Her second husband, Gene Ward, whom she married in 2010, preceded her in death. She did not have any immediate survivors. In 2005, with country singers Kathy Mattea and Pam Tillis, Ms. Seely starred in a Nashville production of Eve Ensler's 'The Vagina Monologues.' It was second nature to her, she told Nashville Scene, to appear in such a politically charged play. Advertisement 'I think of myself as a feminist,' she explained. 'My idea of 'feminist' is to make sure that women have the same choices that men have always had, and that we are respected for our roles — whatever they are — as much as any man is respected for his.' This article originally appeared in
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rodney Crowell Duets With Ashley McBryde, Lukas Nelson on New ‘Airline Highway' Album
'The next time hell starts freezing over/be sure to give a call,' Rodney Crowell sings with Ashley McBryde on the new duet 'Taking Flight,' a soaring blues-rock ballad about the miles and years separating former lovers. Ending with an electrifying solo by Tyler Bryant, 'Taking Flight' appears on the songwriter's upcoming studio album, Airline Highway. Produced by Bryant, a Nashville guitar hero and solo artist, Airline Highway features cameos by McBryde, Blackberry Smoke's Charlie Starr, Lukas Nelson, and the country-rock sibling duo Larkin Poe — making for a particularly high-octane album. More from Rolling Stone Willie Nelson to Reinterpret the Songs of Rodney Crowell on New Album Ringo Starr Teams With Jack White, Sheryl Crow for Country-Themed Concert Special Ashley McBryde Sings Kris Kristofferson's 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' at 2024 CMA Awards 'Ashley McBryde came over to the house to take a swing at writing a song together. 'Flight' is a fictional account of a discussion we had about stardom and driving at night in the south,' Crowell says of the collaboration with McBryde, who appears with the songwriter in the music video too. 'With the exception of the Allman Brothers, I can't say I was ever a fan of 'Southern Rock.' Tyler Bryant's off the cuff solo at the end of the song made me reconsider.' 'Simply sitting across from Rodney is magical,' McBryde says. 'Writing a song with an icon is such an honor and being able to call him my friend is one of the great joys of my life. 'Taking Flight' explored heartache on a plane I hadn't been on before. For Rodney to choose me as a cowriter and a singer is something that only existed in my dreams. This record speaks for itself and I am so happy I get to be part of its journey.' Airline Highway, due Aug. 29 on New West Records, is the follow-up to Crowell's 2023 album with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, The Chicago Sessions. He says the idea for this record came during recording that album. 'A chance presented itself to make a record with Jeff Tweedy at his place in Chicago, something I'd always wanted to do. While we were recording, I got to thinking about the first time I sang into a microphone at JD Miller's Studio in Crowley, Louisiana,' Crowell says. 'The record is long forgotten, but not the experience. Producer Tyler Bryant, recording engineer Trina Shoemaker, and I were talking about what comes after The Chicago Sessions. I said, 'How about Louisiana?' Trina cried out, 'I know the perfect plac e —Dockside Studios on the Vermillion River in Maurice. If we don't get eaten by alligators,' she said, 'We'll make a damn fine record.' 'Game on,' Tyler and I shot back, and off we went. A chance to redeem myself after the pitiful drivel we'd put on tape back in Louisiana in '72. Airline Highway will take you there.' Along with McBryde on 'Taking Flight,' Nelson appears on 'Rainy Days in California,' Starr sings on 'Heaven Can You Help,' and Larkin Poe add their signature playing and harmonies on various tracks. Crowell, 74, will support the album with a tour kicking off May 30 in Arkansas and appearances at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville in September. Track Listing: 1. 'Rainy Days in California' (Feat. Lukas Nelson)2. 'Louisiana Sunshine Feeling Okay' (Feat. Larkin Poe)3. 'Sometime Thang'4. 'Some Kind of Woman'5. 'Taking Flight' (Feat. Ashley McBryde)6. 'Simple (You Wouldn't Call It Simple)'7. 'The Twenty-One Song Salute (Owed to G.G. Shinn and Cléoma Falcon)' (Feat. Tyler Bryant)8. 'Don't Give Up on Me'9. 'Heaven Can You Help' (Feat. Charlie Starr)10. 'Maybe Somewhere Down the Road' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Willie Nelson setlist 2025: Outlaw Music Festival songs at Phoenix tour launch
Willie Nelson is 92 years old and still headlining festival tours. The Outlaw Country legend launched a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Outlaw Music Festival in Phoenix on Tuesday, May 13, with special guests Bob Dylan, Billy Strings, Sierra Hull and Lily Meola, treating fans at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre to a hit-filled overview of his iconic catalog. The 2025 tour is the biggest Outlaw tour to date with 35 stops across 22 states with a rotating cast of special guests as its rolls on from city to city. Guests include Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Sheryl Crow, Turnpike Troubadours, the Avett Brothers, Wilco, the Red Clay Strays, Lake Street Dive, Waxahatchee, Charles Wesley Godwin, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Trampled By Turtles, the Mavericks and more. When Waylon met Willie: How one night in Tempe sparked an outlaw country revolution Here's Willie Nelson's Outlaw Tour 2025 setlist from opening night at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix, as shared online by fans who attended the concert: 'Whiskey River' 'Still Is Still Moving to Me' 'Bloody Mary Morning' 'Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys' "Texas Flood" 'Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground' 'On the Road Again' "Help Me Make It Through the Night" 'Always on My Mind' 'Georgia on My Mind' 'I Been to Georgia on a Fast Train' 'Help Me Make It Through the Night' 'Last Leaf' 'Just Breathe" Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Willie Nelson Outlaw Tour 2025 setlist on Night 1 in Phoenix
